


Before You Know It

by ManiasNotebook



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Bittersweet, Established Relationship, F/M, Female Reader, Light Angst, Link (Legend of Zelda) Needs a Hug, Married Life, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:27:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29941014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManiasNotebook/pseuds/ManiasNotebook
Summary: Sometimes, sacrifices require you to choose between your heart and your head. A warm farmhouse or the snow.Holding your family or braving the wild.But after all this time, it still hasn't gotten easier.But don’t worry- he will always be back (before you know it).
Relationships: Link (Legend of Zelda) & Reader, Link (Legend of Zelda)/Reader, Link (Legend of Zelda)/You, Link/Reader
Kudos: 15





	Before You Know It

He hated leaving her alone and the kids alone. He _hated_ it.

There was too much that could go wrong. He has too many enemies. Too many foes. Too many people that would stop at nothing to kill- no, _slaughter_ everything he loves. 

He wants to be selfish. He wants to stay. He wants to hold his wife in his arms in front of the fire and never let her go. He wants to tell stories to kids while eating pumpkin soup until he falls asleep. He wants to never leave his farm. He longs for the day where he can sit down and never have to stand back up again. To grow as old and as weary as the soil beneath his feet. To never have to raise a sword… or a claw in battle ever again.

He wants to be selfish but he knows he can’t. 

The past growing season wasn’t kind to his family. Days and days without rain had tried up their crops. Most of their plants had shriveled up and died. But on the days that it rained? It poured. It would flood the nearby towns and create leaks that would take him hours to find and days to seal. 

It was the first day of winter when he and his wife shared a look. She shook her head sadly. He couldn’t help but sigh.

There was not enough food for the winter. As much as he wanted peace from the images of war that plagued his mind, he wanted his family alive more.

“(Y/N),” He whispered, breaking the still silence of their bedroom, three days later. The sun was not going to come up for another couple of hours, yet he was already dressed. A fur coat, thick boots, and a hardened stare. His weapons were outside. He had yet to grab them, remembering the rule she had put in place when they had first married. 

_“No weapons inside the house, got it?”_

At first, it had left a bad taste in his mouth. Now, he would do anything to go back to those times.

“(Y/N),” He tried again, whispering the name of his wife a little louder when he received no response. The girl in question let out a soft groan before turning to face his direction. Link felt his heart soften at the sight of his wife, tucked up in their bed, giving him a tired glare. He wants to take off his coat, his gloves, his boots, and crawl back into bed and never leave. 

But this winter will be harsh. He can feel it in his bones. He won’t have many opportunities for this.

“I’m going now, okay?” He speaks in the gentle, practiced voice he reserved for when he knows he’s in trouble with her. He hopes she’s too tired to catch on. That she just nods her head and goes back to sleep so he can’t deal with the aftermath when he gets home. But luck has never been on his side, has it?

“You said tomorrow.” She states, voice quiet but firm with sleepiness and frustration. She sits up, her blanket falling down to her lap, and her eyebrows furrow. There’s no room for questions. He did say tomorrow- but the conditions were at their peak right now. And most of the larger mammals haven’t gone too deep into the forest to hibernate. And there’s less of a chance he’ll get caught in a snowstorm, the earlier he goes in the season. It also gives less time for other hunters to prepare, which means less competition. The list goes on and on about why it needs to be today. Why he needs to leave, _today._

“I’m sorry,” the apology tumbles from his lips instead, sitting on the bed as the last resort effort to comfort her. He knows no amount of excuses he tried to prepare will satisfy her. Not when she already knows the truth. If he doesn’t leave today, he’ll never leave. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

She frowns and turns her head away, her hair brushing against her shoulders in disappointment. It’s a lie and, she knows. She isn’t happy, but she understands. Link sighs.

Slowly, he brings his hand to cup her jaw, turning her to face him once more. Wordlessly, he leans in and kisses her, eyes slipping close. She responds to his needy kiss almost instantly, kissing him as if she already misses him. 

The hand cupping her jaw squeezes it as he moves to deepen the kiss. He slowly stands back up, not even breaking the kiss once as he presses down on her harder. He lets out a small, quiet groan as she allows him to take full control. His heart swells, feeling a little power-hungry but he knows he can’t afford to give in right now. Only goddesses know what would happen if he did. Instead, he leads her further into the bed, making her lie down as his body follows. Only once he’s sure her back is against the mattress, he decides to break the kiss. 

He pulls back, chest heaving as he burns the sight of his wife into his memory. He’ll need it for the long nights he’ll have to spend alone with his thoughts as his only friends. He takes his hand off her jaw and offers her a small, coaxing smile as he notices her drifting off already. 

With heavy hands, he tucks her back into the bed. He makes sure the blanket surrounds her figure tightly. Enough to mimic his hold when he’s not around. By the time he’s done, (Y/N) is already fast asleep, a content smile decorating her face.

“I love you,” he mumbles. There’s no response but he knows the answer. He kisses her forehead and is miles away from his farm not even three minutes later.

She wakes up four hours later. She hopes it was a dream. The scarf placed around her neck says otherwise.

**Author's Note:**

> Oops, sorry Link hehe


End file.
